Hi all.

Are there any books, movies, or other resources that someone could read to get a good idea of what cults are like and what it's like being a member of one. Either factual, preferably first person accounts. Or fictional accounts which paint a realistic picture and give a good understanding.

BTW: I'm not directly involved in cults myself, nor are any of my close friends or relatives. So, I have no practical need to know more about cults. I just generally like to read/watch to "learn stuff", and feel that learning about life in cults is something that would be interesting and educational.

In the past I've read the book "Bare Faced Messiah" about L. Ron Hubbard, but would like to know more.

See [www.culteducation.com]

Buy the Canadian movie "Ticket to Heaven". A great fictionalized movie about how a normal kid gets hooked into a full-blown cult...and how he escapes.

Thank you. I just ordered a copy of Ticket to Heaven from Amazon UK, for the princely sum of £1.37 including postage.

I now note I posted this to the wrong forum, but I did get my answer.

The full list of books etc. posted above is useful to look through, but I appreciate recommendations of which are the most realistic and accurate from those who have knowledge/experience in the area.

"Cults in Our Midst" by Margaret Singer

Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006) Is a documentary about Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple. There is a link to watch this full documentary online [topdocumentaryfilms.com]

Also Waco, The Rules of Engagement, which is more of a dramatisation I think



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2011 08:56AM by CovLass.

WOW!

QUOTE: "Thank you. I just ordered a copy of Ticket to Heaven from Amazon UK, for the princely sum of £1.37 including postage." UNQUOTE.

In the USA it costs over 5 bucks ($) for the same film. Congrats!!!! THIS is just one of many reasons that I love the U.K.!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2011 10:41AM by Sparky.

Quote
Sparky
WOW!

QUOTE: "Thank you. I just ordered a copy of Ticket to Heaven from Amazon UK, for the princely sum of £1.37 including postage." UNQUOTE.

In the USA it costs over 5 bucks ($) for the same film. Congrats!!!! THIS is just one of many reasons that I love the U.K.!

I did buy it second hand, from "Amazon Marketplace", rather than Amazon proper. But, I am amazed by the bargains you can get second hand in the UK with second hand books and DVDs. On "Amazon Marketplace", it's quite often possible to buy books for a penny or two, plus the minimum postage of £2.80. DVDs have a lower minimum postage, of £1.20 or so, but as you can see, the cost of the DVD was pretty much just the postage plus a few pennies. And, there's always still ebay.co.uk and abebooks.co.uk, so you can hunt around and look for the best bargain. This competition and low prices is good for buyers, but not so good for resellers of books and DVDs. Looking on Amazon.com, second hand book and DVD prices in the US seem higher.

Unfortunately I may have hesitated and lost with Margaret Thaler's "Cults in our Midst", as I am sure when I checked during work time yesterday, I am sure I saw a really cheap item, but this morning when I go to buy, it's gone! Still not too bad for £6 or so. But, being a notorious skinflint, I'm going to give it a few days, check the public library's catalogue etc. But once a book is on my list of things to read, I get there eventually.

There are a lot of things that are much more expensive in the UK than the US though. I'm not clear on the price of petrol as I don't drive, but I think it's about £1.20 a litre now, which is about $2 a litre or about $7.40 per US gallon.

Getting vaguely back on-topic, I decided I'd like to know more about cults after recently seeing the Japanese movie "Love Exposure". (Intending to post in the general forum on cults etc., but posted here by mistake. Worked out though). It's a very bizarre movie of questionable morals, as it seems to glorify, erm, "upskirt photography". And it's so bizarre it's hard to tell whether it's being ironic or not. The main plot centres on a family of Japanese Christians being targetted, and temporarily recruited, by an ultra-cultish "Church Zero", by a self-destructive individual. It features a, I presume, amateurish failed deprogramming, and something at the end which might be exit counseling (though we're shown an exercise class, not what I'd think of as exit counseling). However, this movie is so bizarre and everything depicted in it is deliberately shown as extreme caricature, so I'm not thinking that this movie is a realistic depiction of anything.

Seductive Poison by Deborah Layton (about Jonestown...and the Jonestown documentary CovLass mentioned is excellent)

The Ashes of Waco by Dick Reavis (Branch Davidians)

Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall (FLDS)

I Can't Hear God Anymore by Wendy Duncan (Trinity Foundation)